“I feel stronger and I have more confidence in myself,” Landa told Cycling Weekly. “I’m a stronger rider than two years ago.”

Landa is currently in South China for the start of the Tour of Guangxi, his last race in team Sky’s black and blue colours. He joined Sky in 2016 after he previously rode for Astana, for whom he placed third overall and won two stages in the 2015 Giro d’Italia.

“I learnt a lot because Team Sky is one of the best teams in three-week races and they have one of the best riders at this moment with Chris Froome,” he added. “It’s been a very nice experience, but now I have different ambitions and different goals, so I decided to leave the team.”

Sky took Landa as co-leader with Geraint Thomas to the Giro d’Italia this year. However, both riders crashed on stage nine and fell out of the overall ranks. Landa salvaged his and Sky’s Giro by going on to win a mountain stage and the blue mountains jersey.

Mikel Landa won stage 19 of the 2017 Giro d’Italia after crashing and losing time earlier in the race. Photo: Yuzuru Sunada

“Well Spanish fans and press want a new Spanish rider winning the Tour de France and they were starting to create stories, but I was working for Chris from the first day and I don’t think it’s fair to say that I would’ve done otherwise.”

Landa said that he wanted to be the plan A option in a team. The Movistar deal came about and he jumped ship.

“It’s a Spanish team and I think that they bet for me [to join], I’m pretty sure I will have all the support I need,” Landa said.

Watch: Best of the Tour de France 2017

“It’s true that people are looking for new classification star after Alberto Contador, but it’s also very clear that Alberto is a super-class rider and I’m on another level. At the same time, I am happy with where I am. I still haven’t won a Grand Tour and I still need to work a lot to get that victory.

“I was very sad with what happened about the crash in the Giro d’Italia because we will never know how the classification could have gone for me and for Geraint Thomas, but we made the best out of it.”

“In the Tour, I would’ve liked to be on the podium, but we went to win the Tour with Chris Froome as leader and the goal from the first day was for him to win and I couldn’t hope for anything else.”

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